Daylight, Darkness, and Earth’s Seasons

The most common scientific question I get asked about Antarctica is why we have 24 hours of daylight here during the austral summer season, so I made a video during a short trip to McMurdo Station to explain Earth’s seasons and planetary cycles. A common misconception is that Earth’s seasons are a result of being ‘closer or farther away’ from the sun, but in truth it’s due to when your hemisphere is pointed towards or away from the sun because we’re tilted roughly 23 degrees on our axis. Hopefully this video helps to clear things up!